If you head out of Şavşat on the road to Artvin and turn right beside the ruins of the castle on the right you will come to the village of Ciritdüzü where a sign on the left points towards the curiously named Tbeti Kilise in the village of Cevizli. Just past the sign a spring on the right-hand side of the road offers natural mineral water.
The remains of the church soon loom up on the left. A Georgian structure dating back to c. 910, it is a mere roofless shell having been dynamited in the 1960s, but still retains some decorative flourishes and a consecration cross on the façade, and a small patch of abstract fresco over one window. Locals will show you a photo of what it looked like when still in use in 1888.
The school connected to the church taught the Georgian national poet Shota Rustaveli (1172-1216), author of Man in a Panther’s Skin.
Across the road from the church are some stunning examples of the local vernacular architecture: large wooden chalets on two or three floors with stone ground floor rooms to stable the animals and separate wooden depots to store the hay. The carving of the verandahs is especially lovely.
Sleeping
There is no accommodation in Ciritdüzü. You can either return to Şavşat or, better, book into the Şavşat Karagöl Hotel beside the lake a little further on near Veliköy. This has replaced what was once one of Turkey’s remotest – and most picturesque – pensions
Transport info
One dolmuş a day from Savşat passes through Ciritdüzü in late afternoon, returning at dawn the following morning. Otherwise, you can hire a taxi in Şavşat to visit the church.
